Author: Perry Lefko

By Perry Lefko As World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) brought its NXT division on a four-city tour to Ontario, Feb. 22-25, it was a homecoming of sorts for Darryl Sharma, a former pro wrestler who was a coach at Battle Arts Academy in Mississauga and is now a referee. Sharma, who wrestled under the moniker Hornet, refereed on the NXT stops that included the Mississauga Hershey Centre, along with venues in St. Catharines, Peterborough and Barrie. I didn’t have a chance to see Sharma, whom I had known from his days working at Battle Arts, because of work commitments, but...

By Perry Lefko It could take several months before investigators determine what caused the explosion that occurred early in the morning of Feb. 11 at a strip mall just north of Hurontario Street and Dundas Street and caused the shutdown of businesses and evacuation of residents who live above the stores. “When we work these explosions, we’ve got to work from the furthest field out and move inward with the investigation,” Mississauga Fire and Emergency Services Chief Tim Beckett said at a media briefing on Feb. 16 at Fire Station 101. “A number of things have to incur in...

By Perry Lefko Take it from Mike Wilner, the longtime broadcaster of Toronto Blue Jays’ games, there is reason to be optimistic about the team this season. A Mississauga resident for almost 20 years, the 47-year-old is heading into his 17th season as part of the Jays radio team and thinks they have made enough moves in the off-season to shore up some areas of concern to improve on last season’s failure to qualify for the playoffs. “I think they’re going to be pretty good,” Wilner said. “They didn’t make any splashy or sexy moves in the off-season but...

By Perry Lefko An investigation is underway to determine cause of a fire that resulted from an explosion at a commercial plaza on 3066 Hurontario Street, just north of Dundas Street, early Feb. 11. Mississauga Fire and Emergency Services extinguished the fire early on the morning of Feb. 12 and shut off the gas to the building. According to a media release from the City of Mississauga, the investigation is being led by the Ontario Fire Marshal, with support from Mississauga Fire and Emergency Services and Peel Regional Police. The investigation is expected to take a few days to...

By Perry Lefko Nando Iannicca was born and raised in Mississauga and expects he’ll probably spend the rest of his life living there, but the 56-year-old has decided it’s time for a career change after 30 years of working as the Ward 7 councillor. Iannicca, who made history when he became the youngest councilor elected to Mississauga city council at age 27, is also the first local politician to be elected in the riding in which he grew up and still resides. He announced in January he will not seek a 10th term. Iannicca is the longest-serving active member...